Chapter 1. General Provisions of California Unemployment Insurance Code >> Division 1. >> Part 2. >> Chapter 1.

The purpose of this part is to compensate in part for the wage loss sustained by any individual who is unable to work due to the employee's own sickness or injury, the sickness or injury of a family member, or the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a new child, and to reduce to a minimum the suffering caused by unemployment resulting therefrom. This part shall be construed liberally in aid of its declared purpose to mitigate the evils and burdens that fall on the unemployed worker and his or her family.

(a) Except as otherwise provided, the provisions and definitions of Part 1 (commencing with Section 100) of this division apply to this part. In case of any conflict between the provisions of Part 1 and the provisions of this part, the provisions of this part shall prevail with respect to unemployment compensation disability benefits, and the provisions of Part 1 shall prevail with respect to unemployment compensation benefits.
  (b) The provisions of Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 1501) of Part 1, of this division do not apply to this part.
  (c) Sections 312, 318, 1251, 1253, 1253.3, 1254, 1255, 1262, 1279, 1326 to 1333, inclusive, 1339, 1340, 1375 to 1378, inclusive, and 1380 do not apply to this part.

Disability benefits paid pursuant to this part shall not be charged against an employer's account maintained pursuant to Article 4 of Chapter 4, Part 1 of this division.

Whenever the Director of Employment Development believes that a change in contributions rate or disability benefit amounts may become necessary to protect the solvency of the Disability Fund, he shall at once inform the Governor and the Legislature thereof and make recommendations accordingly. In such case the Governor may declare an emergency and authorize the Director of Employment Development to announce a modified scale of benefits or increased waiting period, or other changes in regulations regarding the eligibility for payment of benefits which the Director of Employment Development may deem necessary to assure the solvency of the Disability Fund; such modified regulations to be in effect until the Governor declares the emergency at an end or until further action is taken by the Legislature.

If at any time the Secretary of Labor or other higher authority rules or determines that any section of this part is not in conformity with the provisions of Title III of the Social Security Act or Section 3302 and Section 3303 of the Federal Unemployment Tax Act by reason of any provision contained in this part, such section shall be immediately inoperative.

"Employment" for the purposes of this part means:
  (a) Service included in "employment" as defined by Part 1 (commencing with Section 100) of this division, except that with respect to service for any public entity as defined by Section 605 "employment" for the purposes of this part includes only:
  (1) Service for a hospital established, maintained and operated pursuant to Division 23 (commencing with Section 32000) of the Health and Safety Code.
  (2) Service performed for a public housing administration agency whether operated by state or local governmental subdivisions.
  (3) Service performed by a state employee to the extent provided by Section 2781.
  (4) Service covered under this part by an elective coverage agreement.
  (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this division, all service performed in the employ of a corporation, community chest, fund, or foundation, in connection with the operation of a health facility as defined in Section 1250 of the Health and Safety Code including the institutions described in subdivision (a) of Section 1270 of the Health and Safety Code but not including county hospitals, no part of the net earnings of which inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual, no substantial part of the activities of which is carrying on propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, which does not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office and which is exempt from income tax under Section 501 (a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, except service performed by an individual as a duly ordained priest, clergyman, rabbi, rector, vicar, pastor, or minister of religion, or by a practitioner who heals the sick by prayer in the practice of religion, or by a reader whose duty it is to conduct regular religious services of a religious organization, or by a member of a religious order in the exercise of duties required by the order, or by any other individual performing service in the practice of religion by designation of the governing body of a religious organization and subject to discipline by, including removal by, the governing body. This section shall become operative on July 1, 1978.

Notwithstanding Section 632, "employment" for purposes of this part also means service performed as a clerk-carrier in the employ of the United States Postal Service, to the extent Congress permits this part to be applicable to the postal service, and if Congress permits the states to require the postal service to withhold workers' contributions and to transmit those contributions into a state fund for unemployment compensation disability benefits.

(a) "Employment" for purposes of this part also means domestic service in a private home, local college club, or local chapter of a college fraternity or sorority performed for an employing unit which pays wages in cash of seven hundred fifty dollars ($750) or more to individuals employed in such service during any calendar quarter in the calendar year or the preceding calendar year.
  (b) "Employment" for purposes of this part also means domestic service comprising in-home supportive services under Article 7 (commencing with Section 12300) of Chapter 3 of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, performed for an employing unit which pays wages in cash of seven hundred fifty dollars ($750) or more to individuals employed in such service during any calendar quarter in the calendar year or preceding calendar year, and is one of the following:
  (1) The recipient of such services, if the state or county makes or provides for direct payment to a provider chosen by the recipient or to the recipient of such services for the purchase of services, subject to the provisions of Section 12302.2 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.
  (2) The individual or entity with which a county contracts to provide in-home supportive services.
  (3) Any county which hires and directs in-home supportive personnel in accordance with established county civil service requirements or merit system requirements for those counties not having civil service systems.

(a) "Disability benefit period," with respect to any individual, means the continuous period of unemployment and disability beginning with the first day with respect to which the individual files a valid claim for unemployment compensation disability benefits. For the purposes of this part, two consecutive periods of disability due to the same or related cause or condition and separated by a period of not more than 14 days shall be considered as one disability benefit period.
  (b) This section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2016, and as of January 1, 2017, is repealed.

(a) "Disability benefit period," with respect to any individual, means the continuous period of unemployment and disability beginning with the first day with respect to which the individual files a valid claim for unemployment compensation disability benefits. For the purposes of this part, two consecutive periods of disability due to the same or related cause or condition and separated by a period of not more than 60 days shall be considered as one disability benefit period.
  (b) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2016.

"Valid claim" means any claim for unemployment compensation disability benefits made in accordance with the provisions of this code and rules and regulations adopted thereunder if the individual is unemployed and disabled and has been paid wages in employment for employers necessary to qualify for benefits under Section 2652.

"Disability base period," with respect to an individual who does not have an unexpired benefit year for unemployment compensation benefits, means for disability benefit periods beginning in October, November, or December, the four calendar quarters ended in the next preceding month of June; the disability base period for disability benefit periods beginning in January, February, or March, shall be the four calendar quarters ended in the next preceding month of September; the disability base period for disability benefit periods beginning in April, May, or June, shall be the four calendar quarters ended in the next preceding month of December; the disability base period for disability benefit periods beginning in July, August, or September shall be the four calendar quarters ended with the next preceding month of March.

"Disability base period," with respect to an individual who has an unexpired benefit year for unemployment compensation benefits, shall be:
  (a) The same as the disability base period in Section 2610 if the individual has sufficient qualifying earnings in that disability base period.
  (b) The same as the base period used to establish the benefit year for unemployment compensation benefits if the individual does not have sufficient qualifying earnings in the disability base period in Section 2610.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, except as provided in subdivision (b) of Section 2611, in determining the benefit rights of any person who cannot establish a valid claim pursuant to Section 2652 because he or she is unemployed during the normal disability base period established pursuant to Section 2610, there shall be excluded from the disability base period those quarters during which the person performed no services in employment for 60 days or more and was actively seeking work. For all quarters so excluded, there shall be substituted an equal number of quarters immediately preceding the commencement of the normal disability base period. Benefit rights under this section shall terminate for any disability benefit period that begins when the substitution quarters no longer contain sufficient wages to establish a valid claim under Section 2652.

(a) The Director of Employment Development shall develop and maintain a program of education concerning disability insurance rights and benefits.
  (b) The director shall provide to each employer of employees subject to this part a notice informing workers of their disability insurance rights and benefits due to sickness, injury, or pregnancy. The notice shall be given by every employer to each new employee hired on or after June 1, 1988, and to each employee leaving work due to pregnancy or nonoccupational sickness or injury on or after July 1, 1989.
  (c) Commencing January 1, 2004, the director shall provide to each employer of employees subject to this part a notice informing workers of their disability insurance rights and benefits due to the employee's own sickness, injury, or pregnancy, or the employee's need to provide care for any sick or injured family member, or the employee's need to bond with a minor child within the first year of the child's birth or placement in connection with foster care or adoption. The notice shall also instruct the employee to provide notification of the reason for taking leave in a manner consistent with company policy. The notice shall be given by every employer to each new employee hired on or after January 1, 2004, and to each employee leaving work on or after July 1, 2004, due to pregnancy, nonoccupational sickness or injury, or the need to provide care for any sick or injured family member, or the need to bond with a minor child within the first year of the child's birth or placement in connection with foster care or adoption.

The director shall report to the Assembly Committee on Insurance, Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment, and the Senate Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations by June 30 of each year on the department's fraud deterrence and detection activities.